


3907 miles

by eleanna99



Category: Sense8 (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-12
Updated: 2015-10-12
Packaged: 2018-04-26 03:01:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4987573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eleanna99/pseuds/eleanna99
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kala's father is in the hospital, she's falling apart and she needs her Cluster more than ever. But there are only six people in her head.</p>
            </blockquote>





	3907 miles

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the sense8 universe.

 The door had barely closed behind Kala’s mother -after a lengthy dispute about how she should go home and get some rest because she could be of no use if she couldn’t even keep her eyes open- when Nomi appeared.

Her eyes were full of love and compassion as she held her friend in her arms for a long while, without even talking, a hand gently stroking her hair. She was prepared for a fair amount of crying, but when Kala pulled away her face was completely dry. Her eyes looked tired, but there was no indication that she had shed a single tear ever since the accident.

“I tried to come as fast as I could, but you were always with family,” Nomi explained as they sat down next to each other in the uncomfortable hospital chairs, their fingers still intertwined. “Everyone is dead worried. They are waiting for me to fill them in. What happened, Kala?” she asked, obviously scared she was being too blunt but way too concerned to not be straightforward.

Kala took her time to answer. Her gaze drifted off to the man in the bed in front of them and her heart ached- there was no need to say it, Nomi felt it just the same. Her whole life she had remembered her father in the constant motion that came with the job of a restaurant owner, but even when the clock was against him, he always found the time to crack a smile at everyone. Seeing him unconscious, tubes connected to every part of his body, was something she never thought would happen. And the worst part was that she was not able to help him. She had spent so many years studying a science that was supposed to make people better, but now, in the time of actual need, there was absolutely nothing she could do other than sit there for hours and pray to Ganesha for his aid.

“He was at the market, getting some things for the restaurant,” she spoke at last, after taking a deep breath, “and he just collapsed. Heart attack. The doctors say that he was lucky there were many people there and they brought him here quickly, otherwise…” No, she wouldn’t say it. She had kept up a face of strength for hours, but she was almost certain that that simple verb could make it fall apart. “Anyway, all we can do for now is wait.”

Nomi opened her mouth, probably to say something reassuring and thoughtful, but she was interrupted by some voices just outside the door. “It seems you have more visitors. I’ll go inform the others and we’ll come back as soon as you’re alone again,” she said in a hurry. “We’re here for you, honey.” And with that she disappeared.

Her timing turned out to be impeccable, as Kala could still feel the ghost of Nomi’s last hand squeeze when Rajan and his mother came in. She rose to welcome them and to her surprise Sahana immediately embraced her.

“I am so sorry, my girl,” she said as she pulled away but still held on to Kala’s hands. She knew at least one person of the Rasal family would probably pay a visit, since all of them had grown close to her father during her engagement to Rajan, but the last thing she expected was to be greeted by such true compassion. After all, she had been the one to call off the wedding.

“Thank you for coming,” Kala replied, trying to hide her surprise, as the woman who could have been her mother-in-law let go off her hands and opened her bag, pulling out her own statue of Ganesha.

“You prayed for my husband’s return to health. I consider it my duty to do the same for such a great man as your father,” Sahana said with utter sincerity, before settling down in one of the chairs, leaving Kala to face her ex-fiancé.

“You know I do not believe in God, Kala,” Rajan said and there was not a single hint of spite in his voice, “but I am here for anything else you might need.” She didn’t know whether he was being that kind to her because of the situation or if he truly didn’t hold anything against her, but in any case, she was grateful. She knew that Rajan loved her and she loved him too, just not in the way a wife should love her husband.

“Thank you, Rajan,” she replied, “for everything.” She hoped he understood and the kiss he planted on her forehead indicated that he did.

The Rasals stayed there for hours and only said their goodbyes when Kala’s mother returned- the pain was still obvious on her face, but after a shower and some sleep she at least looked less tired. However, she refused to spend the night at home while her husband wasn’t there to share the bed with her and Kala couldn’t argue with that.

The older woman’s neck was uncomfortably crooked on the chair closer to the bed, her hand never letting go of that of her husband and Kala spent more time watching them than trying to sleep herself. In their connected hands she could see how her mom would fall apart if she lost the man she had loved for so long, but their steady synchronized breathing enhanced her denial and helped create an illusion in which everything was okay as usual. In all her exhaustion she could almost convince herself that she was a child who had just had a nightmare and walked into her parents’ bedroom to find them sleeping like that. Her father would wake up first and tell her to come to him, then lift her in his arms and place her in the middle of the bed. She closed her eyes and she could still see his smile when he kissed the tip of her nose and told her that he smelled so much like spices that even bad dreams tried to stay away from him and she would fall asleep laughing.

But then she opened her eyes and a tube had taken the place of her father’s smile on his mouth and in that moment, as a big part of her denial fell to pieces, she might have cried- at least if Sun hadn’t showed up.

“I know how you feel,” the Korean woman spoke and there was a sadness in her voice that she had never heard before, even if her posture, sitting on the floor with her legs crossed, her back against the wall, radiated calmness as usual.

Kala didn’t answer in fear that she would wake her mother up, since she had no energy to visit the prison in South Korea and the last thing she needed was people thinking she had gone mad and started talking to herself. There had already been too many incidents when the eight of them were still getting used to how visiting works, but she had always found a good enough excuse.

“I know what it’s like to have someone you love in a hospital bed and how it feels to sit there unable to do anything about it,” Sun continued. If it was anyone else, Kala would expect words of fake comfort and reassuring when in fact no one could be certain that things would be okay after all, but this was Sun and she knew better. “Go to sleep, Kala. You will be able to do even less if you cannot keep your eyes open. I will stay here and let you know if anything changes with his condition.”

She didn’t protest, she knew it would make no difference. So Kala just pressed her hand over her heart in a silent thank you, before leaning back against the wall and trying to get some much needed rest. She felt much more secure knowing that Sun was and she was fast asleep almost immediately. She didn’t realize it was a pair of blue eyes that watched over her in silence for the rest of the night.

Too many people were there when she woke up. The number of extended relatives in an Indian family could be a blessing, but for her buzzing head and aching limbs it seemed like torture. Kala kindly excused herself (not that many people noticed she was even there) and went to grab a coffee. She could have chosen the hospital canteen but she deemed a change of environment would be good for her so she went for the small coffee shop right next to the building.

With an espresso hot in her hands, she picked the table in the far corner, so as not to draw people’s attention in case she had any more visitors. Sure enough, two familiar faces appeared opposite to her as soon as she had sat down.

“Are you guys taking shifts?” Kala did her best to joke and both Will and Riley laughed, even if it was out of pity. “How’s Iceland, Will?” she asked, doing her best to start a conversation and take her mind off things.

“We actually just landed in Chicago,” Riley was the one to reply. “Capheus just stared out of the airplane window for hours,” she said and her smile was as big as Kala imagined Capheus’ had been during the journey.

“I couldn’t take any more time off, so I figured it would be a good time to show her around the land of the free,” Will explained. “But let me tell you, Iceland was  _awesome_ ,” he continued, making Riley giggle next to him. “Although this little devil over here thought it would be a good idea to make fun of me by shutting me out whenever I was alone in the city,” he said, his arm over his girlfriend’s shoulders.

“It wasn’t my fault, okay?” Riley tried to hold back her laughter, “he dared say that Icelandic wasn’t so difficult after all and I just had to prove him wrong.”

“Hey, everything seemed simple and easy after I learned to how to pronounce Eyjafjallajökull!” he defended himself, even though the word still didn’t sound utterly right coming from his lips.

“Don’t be so confident next time,” Riley smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

Kala didn’t have to say anything. To sit back in her chair and watch them was enough to bring a grin to her face. They were so in love she felt warm inside even though she had barely taken a sip of her coffee.

But the complete adoration in their eyes brought back memories of a face so familiar looking at her in the same way, what seemed to be eons ago. From a coffee shop and a car and a mansion in Central Europe to a rooftop and her wedding and her room back home, those memories turned her stomach into a knot- and she pushed them away. Her father in the hospital already had her on the verge of breaking down, the last thing she needed was the thought of  _him_  and everything that came with it to give her the final push.

Will’s yawn brought her back to reality. “You should go get some sleep,” she urged them, “the jet lag must be awful.”

“Are you sure you are going to be okay?” Riley asked, concerned but obviously exhausted. “We could drop by again later if you want.”

“I will be fine. Besides, I need to go back to the hospital and be with my family. I did leave kind of rudely earlier.” She stood up, walked over to their side of the table and after making sure no one was paying attention to their side of the coffee shop, pulled them both into a hug. “Go take care of yourselves first.”

They were gone in an instant and with her now cold coffee, Kala walked out into the Indian heat. Will and Riley’s positivity had truly done wonders for her mood and had given her the much needed energy to deal with all her relatives. And anyone else who happened to drop by, since she was expecting –hopefully- three more visits.

It was already dark outside when Daya arrived. All the other visitors had left a few hours before, but Kala had insisted to stay despite her mother’s protests that she should go home for the night. Now that the woman was sleeping and the room was once against silent (other than the steady beeping of the monitors) after Nomi’s quick visit to check up on her, Kala began to understand how exhausted she felt. Her limbs felt numb and heavy and she too often found herself having to focus all her energy on keeping her eyelids open.

“Go get some rest,” her sister whispered as she settled down in the chair on the opposite side of the bed. “No one is at home and you could use some peace and quiet.” She didn’t even have the power to argue, so she gathered her things and left.

The night was thankfully chilly, which helped her regain some consciousness, only to realize that she didn’t have her car with her. She was relatively close to the hospital when she had gotten the news so she had just run there. But anyway, she was in no condition to drive. She didn’t have the patience to wait for a taxi and there were no buses at this time so she decided to walk. Some cold air blowing in her face would certainly make her feel much better.

If you had told her a year ago that she would be walking alone in Mumbai after midnight, she would have called you crazy. But having seven other people watch your back made it so much easier to be reckless, especially when she could already feel Sun in complete concentration and ready to step in if anything suspicious occurred. Will was sleeping but she knew it would take just the slightest indication of fear from her side to wake him up. Hell, even Capheus would be there in an instant if she called for him.

Then where was Wolfgang? She had finally allowed herself to wonder. She hadn’t spoken to him in weeks, even though she had caught glimpses of him here and there, mostly during times of need- when she accidentally cut her palm with a broken tube at work she saw him in the mirror while she was washing away the blood; when she got food poisoning she was certain it was him holding back her hair every time she threw up; the night she woke up because of cramps, she found him sitting on her bed when she came back with some pain killers. But he never talked, he always disappeared. It was as if he just wanted to make sure she was okay, despite his effort to stay away from her. Because no matter what had happened and how hard he tried, he would always find himself close to her. Thank God for gravity.

But where was he now? Now that she was more scared than she had ever been and she needed someone to tell her that things were going to be okay. She needed  _him_  to tell her that because she knew that he was a man of actions and he wouldn’t lie. If he said everything was going to be fine, he would make everything fine.

Felix had woken up and Kala had tried to convince herself that his absence was due to that. She had grown up surrounded by family and even though they could be annoying and pressing, in times of need she would always turn to them. But for someone like Wolfgang, who had learned to deal with things alone, it was difficult to share both the sadness and the joy. She just wished that before he had shut her off, he had dealt with whatever was going on between them.

Which was pretty messed up, to be honest. She had seen him killing his uncle in cold blood, before telling her to marry Rajan as she sobbed next to him. If only he could understand that she wasn’t crying because of him. She was crying  _for_  him and no matter what he thought, he couldn’t make her believe that he was a monster.

She had cancelled her wedding to Rajan both because she knew it was a mistake to marry someone she didn’t love and because she thought that would finally make Wolfgang pay attention to her. Still, it was radio silence on his part and Kala didn’t dare to ask the others if he was talking to them.

“He’s been talking to me,” she heard a voice next to her and she jumped in surprise only to see Lito walking by her side. He and Wolfgang had formed an unlikely but strong friendship after everything that had happened, so Kala was not really surprised. “He’ll come to you soon enough.”

She said nothing to reply to that, since the six strong links and one almost dead in her mind disagreed with his statement. She just walked on with her arms crossed on her chest to protect herself from the cold, scolding herself for thinking about him so much when her father’s life was at risk.

“Why don’t you let it all out?” Lito inquired, not leaving even though she seemingly paid no attention to him. “You haven’t shed a single tear- that’s not healthy. Kala, I’m an actor, I know a lot about emotions.”

She continued to ignore him. Exactly because he was a master of showing and hiding and faking emotions, she doubted he would understand how hard it was for her to keep it all in in fear that she wouldn’t be able to stick her pieces back together if she allowed herself to break down.

…or she was just holding an unfair grudge against him because he was still talking to Wolfgang.

“Fine,” he gave up with a sigh. “Just know that if things don’t go well you are always welcome here. Hernando would love to meet you.”

That made her stop in her tracks and finally turn to face him. He didn’t deserve that, he who had always been so kind to her. “Thank you, Lito,” she said, her voice coming out hoarse. “Sorry for being like this, but with everything that’s going on…”

“Don’t mention it,” the man interrupted her. “Now, can I walk you home?”

Kala just smiled weakly and nodded, once again thanking God for the rare and beautiful gift of a second family.

Her house was completely quiet which felt strange but also refreshing. However, the silence meant she would be left alone with her thoughts once again, something she would avoid at all costs, especially after the incident with Lito earlier. She frantically navigated her mind, something she had grown to be really good at and once again she found six people ready to show up at her slightest whisper of need.

Still, in a last desperate attempt she focus on the seventh link which had faded in the background. Her eyes closed she imagined it as a closed door that had been locked from the inside and she could do nothing but wait for it to open once again.  _Where are you, Wolfgang?_  she thought, her forehead leaning against the cold metal, but pulled away almost instantly, knowing there would be no response. The first times she had found the door shut, she had banged and shouted and tried to kick it down, but now she didn’t even have the energy to knock.

She called Capheus instead, hoping his optimism would make her see things clearer.

He sat on the edge of the bed she was lying, just like her father used to do when she was little, before tucking her in, kissing her forehead and saying goodnight. The memory was so bittersweet it made her want to smile and cry at the same time.

But Capheus, as always was smiling. It was admirable really, how the one with the worst living conditions of them all was also the one who always had a grin on his face and never a pout on his face.

“Would you like to watch a movie with me?” he asked and Kala couldn’t help but chuckle. That was why it was Capheus who she needed at that moment. No one else could have made her laugh so quickly and easily.

“Of course,” she replied with a thankful nod. “But you are picking.”

His face was lit up by a grin and he went through her pile of DVDs, as he had done so many times in the past. He pretended to be thinking about it for a bit and then picked her favorite one. Of course he would.

They cuddled up on her bed and for a while she actually felt better. If she let herself focus on the movie for long enough, she could almost forget what had happened- maybe it was just an ordinary Friday movie night, with Bollywood and singing and dancing and Capheus. Just as it should be.

It didn’t last for long.

“Do you believe in God, Capheus?” she asked impulsively, as the credits rolled while an uplifting song played, even though it had no effect on her. 

He contemplated his answer for a moment, his narrowed eyes sliding to the small statue of Ganesha on her nightstand and then back to her.

“I believe in being kind and helping those whose need it and not giving up. If there is a God that talks about that, then I agree with them, but I don’t think I really need them,” he finally answered in the best way he could. He knew Kala wouldn’t get mad as long as he didn’t disrespect her Gods (something he would never do), but he also knew that religion was always a delicate subject. He had seen the Christians and the Muslims and the tragedies their coexistence had resulted in, and he had decided that his faith in people was what he needed the most.

She just nodded. “Well, a big part of my religion is  _karma_. Have you ever heard about it?”

“The word sounds familiar. Something about a wheel that turns, correct?” he asked with a smile.

Kala chuckled. “Yes, pretty much.  _Karma_  is cause and effect. It essentially means that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people.” She paused, took a deep breath and wiped her cheek even though there were no tears. “So I can’t help but wonder, what have I done to deserve this?”

“Oh, no, no, no, Kala,” Capheus immediately stepped in, turning onto the bed so that he was facing her, “don’t for a second think that, okay?” His hands were on her shoulders and his eyes fixed on hers. “You cannot actually believe that you are not a good person. I mean, look at all the people you save with your work. My mother is alive thanks to you!”

It was true. After the situation with Whispers had been resolved, Capheus’ mom was at her worst and during a night not much different than that one, while he and Kala sat on the bed and the credits had just rolled, he had confessed just how scared of losing his only family he was. Kala made it her mission to help them. She examined the woman, sent all the needed medicine for free and most importantly, she was there to hold Capheus’ hand every time he was woken up by a coughing fit to remind him that she was not giving up.

He had insisted to try and figure out a way to pay her back for her services, but Kala asked for nothing in return. That was just who she was. Many would consider her need to help people a fatal flaw, but she couldn’t change it and she didn’t want to.

What she wanted sometimes, times like this one, was to take a moment. Breathe deeply and take the weight of the world off her shoulders for a while. But her compassion seemed to have filled up her lungs and she had grown so used to the burden on her back that she was afraid she would fall apart if the slightest bit went away.

So she cried, she finally cried. She pulled Capheus close to her and sobbed in his shirt as he held her tightly, one hand in her hair and the other running up and down her back. She cried for god knows how long and she thought she would never stop if there hadn’t been a knock on the front door.

A sadden nonsensical panic overtook her and she instinctively reached out to the other parts of herself. Strangely enough, no one replied, which made her freak out even more.  Even Capheus, in whose arms she had been sobbing moments earlier, had disappeared, leaving her alone in her dark room. She froze in place for a minute, until a second knock brought her back to reality.

 _Calm down_ , she instructed herself and slowly started for the source of the sound.  _If it was about dad, they would have called. And burglars don’t really knock on doors._

“Who is it?” she called out, but there was nothing. Inhale, exhale. No matter all the crazy things that had happened in her life those past months, this was Mumbai, this was home and there should be nothing weird or frightening about someone at her door.

She steadily brought her hand to the knob and abruptly swung it open and she could have sworn her heart stopped. 

It was as if he was invisible, in his totally black attire that perfectly meddled  in with the darkness of the night in the background. But there was also pale skin, blond hair and two blue eyes, which glowed so bright that they would have still been a beacon of light in the darkest of abysses. 

“Wolfgang?”

“Hello,” he just said, his face softening by an innocent smile that felt so foreign on his face but seemed to be permanent when he was around her.

“You’re... here?” Her eyes were wide her mouth half open in disbelief, as her hand wouldn’t leave the knob and her feet had frozen in place.

“I am,” he nodded, and shifted his weight, the awkwardness visible in his moves. “May I come in?”

It took her a moment but she stepped aside and let him enter the house, so that she could finally observe him as a whole. His clothes and shoes were indeed black, as was the duffel bag in his hand, but his blue eyes weren’t as clear as she was used to them being; they were red and swollen and tired, as if he hadn’t slept for days. Other than that, his stance was strong a always, despite the long journey and all the hardship.

“I’m sorry I didn’t notify you,” he started, making no effort to approach her or make himself at home, as if he was just waiting for her to kick him out. “But with everything that happened, with Felix, with my uncle... I needed time. Away from you. I thought that maybe it would help you do the right thing.” He looked down at his feet -with shame, maybe?- before focusing back on her. “But then Felix woke up,” -his eyes truly lit up at that- “and you were the first person I wanted to talk to. I explained everything to him -about the eight of us- and he convinced me to talk to you- but that night I was woken up by your pain.”

It was Kala’s turn to look down, crossing her arms on her chest. His words reminded her that despite the astonishing thing that was going on in front of her, life went on and her father’s life was still in danger. She met his eyes again with her lips pursed, determined to let him finish before speaking- partly because she wanted the full story, party because she was afraid that it was all a hallucination and if she interrupted him, he would disappear.

“And I wanted to be there for you so desperately, but appearing whenever you were alone, to try to soothe you only with words- it just wasn’t enough.” His lips were pursed as well now, and his features turned harsher, closer to his usual look. “So I left the job to the others, because I realized I didn’t just want to be here for you, I wanted to be here  _with_  you, because my best friend almost died and it reminded me that life is too short and I’m way too selfish to stay away from you.”

He looked almost in pain and she would have reached out to touch his face if it hadn’t turned all soft and vulnerable again. “I didn’t say anything because I figured you had enough things to worry about. You are not obliged to do anything, I’m staying at a hotel for the night and if you don’t want me here I’ll be in the first plane tomorrow morning. Just say the word.” He let out a long breath and looked at her, is eyes full of anticipation.

Kala took a hesitant step forward and extending her hand until she almost touched him, but slightly pulled it back before she could, as if she had changed her mind. She tried to find something to say, in her mind full of Hindi and English and Korean and Swahili and German, but there was no word in any of those languages to explain the mixture of emotions that she felt in every cell of her body. She didn’t know if her senses were so heightened due to the proximity to a member of her cluster, or if it was her body’s natural response to Wolfgang being there, but either way it somehow it minimized her vocabulary to three simple words: “You are here.”

Wolfgang grinned, a rare sight but even more beautiful in person and nodded. “I am here, Kala.”

That was enough for her. In one move she eliminated the space between them and pulled Wolfgang into her tightest hug, her arms locked behind his head and her face buried in is neck. His one hand came to her waist and the other soon followed, dropping the bag with a loud thump and she held her as close to him as he could, almost lifting her off the ground. But Kala barely felt any of them. The world suddenly burst with colors behind her closed eyes and images flashed before her- a karaoke bar and a coffee shop and a manor in Berlin, a rooftop and her room and the day of her wedding in Mumbai- and always the two of them. The two of them close but so far away and finally the two of them together.

She let her down but still held her close, their foreheads touching and their lips so close together they could taste each other’s breath. She felt him leaning in and she moved closer and- 

The sound of clapping and cheering made them pull away and open their eyes, to find themselves inside a circle of six people with the brightest of smiles on their faces- even behind their tears, in the case of Nomi and Riley.

“I believe our services will no longer be needed,” Will commented.

Kala chuckled. “So you all knew? And you didn’t say anything?” she asked, trying to sound angry but failing miserably.

“It was Wolfgang’s orders,” Nomi explained, wiping her cheeks. “He can be terrifyingly convincing when he wants.”

“Although, I did try to warn you,” Lito stepped in and Kala looked at him questioningly. “ _He’ll come to you soon enough_ , remember?”

Kala smiled, remembering their conversation earlier that night, back then when the world was getting heavier and heavier on her shoulders- at least now she had someone there with her to help her carry it. “Thank you for the effort, Lito. But you will always be needed in my life.” She felt the need to thank them all personally, let them know that without each and every one of them she probably wouldn’t have made it this far, but Wolfgang’s hand on her waist, pulling her close to him, made her keep her mouth shut.

“Just not right now, guys,” he reminded them, a look of warning behind the pure bliss in his eyes. Some laughed, some winked and all of them were gone in a matter of seconds.

In the morning, she had so many things to worry about. Her father in the hospital, her job, the constant gift and curse of seven people in her head and the sudden presence of a man who had never left Germany in her house in the heart of Mumbai.

But in that moment, she had Wolfgang and as his lips found hers she was reminded that even though she could never explain their bond, he could always count on him to keep her on her feet, ready to face another day. Just like gravity.

**Author's Note:**

> So, first sense8 fanfic. I watched the series right after it came out and Kalagang became my life soon after, so I believe this fanfic took me long enough. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it and as always, feedback is much appreciated.


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